• A math professor from the UK recently created the "fiancee formula," which supposedly predicts the best time for a man to propose. Although it was created for men, the Daily Mail says it could equally apply to women. •

Advertisement

• Since 1999, breast cancer rates have been dropping by about 2% each year. A new study may help explain the mysterious decline; Harvard researchers suggest the falling rates may have something to do with decreased use of menopausal hormone therapy. A 2002 study revealed that hormone therapy was linked to an increased risk of breast cancer and heart disease, which lead many women to stop treatment. • Some women are forgoing engagement rings because, in the words of marriage expert Stephanie Coontz, "Many women don't like people to make a fuss over the ring as if getting married was the biggest achievement of their lives." Now there's an idea. • Despite his defense's efforts, Elizabeth Smart's alleged kidnapper Brian David Mitchell has been ruled competent to stand trial. • Departing White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers now says allegations that her staff was responsible for the Salahis' party-crashing are "just wrong." She also calls the idea that she was supposed to personally man the White House gates "hogwash." • A 94-year-old woman received her bat mitzvah Saturday, since she didn't get to in her adolescence during the Great Depression. Mazel tov! • The Indian state of Kerala is introducing a text messaging service to fight sexual harassment. The SMS service will allow women to type "Vanitha" on her phone, and the help desk at the Women's Commission will inform the nearest police station to send out an officer. • A Texas Fire Department engineer noticed that there were relatively few women in the profession ("You do get a sense of isolation," she said) and decided to organize Camp Houston Fire. The weekend-long camp allows high school girls a chance to experience first hand "what a fantastic job" firefighting is. • Viewers are pissed about Rachel Maddow's use of the phrase "tea bagging," according to FCC records. The only more controversial subject was Jack Cafferty's 2008 rant against China. • Three female gorillas at the London Zoo have fallen for their new neighbor, an 11-year-old player named Yeboah. "He's a bit of a flirt all round," said one staffer. Zoo keepers expect Yeboah to change from a blackback gorilla to a silverback "now that he's dating three girls at once." • A 47-year-old man from West Wales has been accused of stabbing his daughter to death following her rape earlier that year. He claims that his 17-year-old child wanted to die, and had asked him to "end her suffering." Lawyers for the prosecution argue that the entire suicide pact is a ruse, and his daughter asked no such thing. • NPRinterviews two Iraqi female scientists on their role in rebuilding their home country. "The woman is most important part of any community... During the wars that we had, most of our men were fighting and the woman took their job and ran the whole country and have the great responsibility in their homes and in their work," said Dr. Mustafa. • Cable network TLC will drop the "Miss America" pageant, which it has broadcast since 2008. No network has yet stepped in to fill those glittery, glittery shoes. • Publishers have announced plans to release Laura Bush's memoir, Spoken from the Heart on May 4th, 2010. They have also released a cover image, which looks slightly more like a magazine cover than a memoir. • Recent research on rats may help explain why children often form bonds with the very people who hurt them. When exposed to a stressful stimulus, some young rats did not experience the expected fearful response in their amgydalas, which could be linked to lower levels of dopamine in the brain. •